Roses for all

Ecuadorian roses for Chinese air passengers

The Ecuadorian consulate in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Tuesday, offered roses from Ecuador to all female passengers aboard China Southern Airlines flights leaving from the city.

The campaign, “An Ecuadorian rose for the woman who dreams big,” promoted by the consulate, was inaugurated at Guangzhou airport, with multi-colored roses decorating the areas under China Southern Airlines.

Following the ceremony, attended by Ecuadorian diplomats and the Chinese airline officials, 30 flights took off with roses that were distributed by flight attendants to female passengers while traditional Ecuadorian music played in the background.

Mariella Molina, the Ecuador Consul General in Guangzhou, told the media that 6,400 roses were brought to the city from Ecuador to be distributed among passengers and for decorations in the campaign.

Ecuador has a significant interest in marketing their roses in China, where it sees a huge potential for this item.

According to Chinese customs data released by the Ecuadorian Embassy, 61.47 percent of roses imported by China come from Ecuador, while the rest come from countries such as the Netherlands and Kenya.

However, China accounts for only a small percentage of Ecuador’s rose export, way behind the United States, European Union and Russia.

Besides the high price of Ecuadorian roses in China, the country does not have a culture of gifting roses beyond certain days such as Valentine’s Day, prompting the Ecuadorian Embassy in China to regularly undertake campaigns to promote the flower among Chinese consumers.